Once again the National League must deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As well as the rest of the league during the MLB Playoffs. Manager Dave Roberts has LA nearing a third straight World Series title by eliminating the Atlanta Braves 4-1 Wednesday.
This time LA didn't need to lean into the power of Shohei Ohtani at the bat, who moved down to fifth then fourth in the Dodgers' batting order. Nor did they need to turn to Freddie Freeman's home run power to scale past this challenge inside Truist Park. Even top pitching ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto rested his arm and watched his teammates pull together.
Arguably LA's most under-the-radar all-star Andy Pages elevated the Dodgers, smashing a ground ball up the middle that broke the 1-1 tie in the seventh inning. Pages scored two teammates home and made sure the NL crown still runs through LA.
Roberts himself isn't shy about boasting the Dodgers' exuberant confidence during this time of year. Amid the champagne showers inside the locker room, Roberts fired off this message to a team aspiring for a third straight World Series title.
“We talked about this: There's no more talented team, than the Los Angeles Dodgers,” Roberts began. “The best organization in sports top to bottom. We're smarter, better and we're tougher.”
Article Continues Below“There’s no more talented team than the Los Angeles Dodgers… We’re smarter. We’re better. We’re tougher.”
Dave Roberts after clinching their 3rd straight NLCS apperance 🗣️
(via @MLBONFOX) pic.twitter.com/obuDdwSsKB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 8, 2026
Yet Roberts went the late LA legend Kobe Bryant route: Informing the team that the job's not done.
“We have eight more wins. Stay focused,” were among the last words Roberts told his team.
Still, LA's confidence still hasn't wavered. Now an unheralded hero with past playoff struggles Pages lifted LA into the National League Championship Series stage. Proving that this version of the Dodgers are confident and peaking at the right time, just like the last two seasons.